Used Watches: Watch Snob

Patek vs. JLC: Watch Snob

You may think you know watches, but let's be real — you just don’t. Let me, a true horological aficionado, enlighten your plebeian minds as to what makes a real watch, what you should wear when and what to do with those old watches of yours. All the opinions expressed by the Watch Snob are my own, and are just that — opinions. Don’t worry, though, AskMen will still be bringing you great features on interesting watches to buy, both old and new, expensive and cheap. For now, let the Watch Snob reign.

Hi Snob,

First of all, thanks for a great column, which brings a lot of knowledge to us less endowed.

I write to you because I would like your opinion on a couple of things that, in my case, are quite related: 1- Would you ever buy a used watch, for instance at an auction? 2- What would you prefer: A new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master World Geographic or a used Patek Philippe Calatrava?

Thanks for the hollow compliments but I must admit, by the nature of your questions it appears that you’ve never read my column before. Would I buy a "used" watch? That’s like asking, "Would you forego a vintage Patek Perpetual Calendar Chronograph because someone else had it on their wrist before you?" My friend, "used" watches are the ones worth owning! What fun is it walking into Tourneau and buying a watch off the shelf? You want to hunt and gather, research and bargain. Also, auctions are one of the absolute best places to buy watches, both new and "used."

To answer your second question, the Patek Calatrava and the JLC Master World Geo are two completely different watches. One is a true dress watch (simple and ultrathin) and the other is somewhat complicated with a busy dial. I simply cannot and will not answer this question — please feel free to reevaluate your choices and return to me with a more concise and reasonable inquiry.

What is your opinion of Franck Muller watches? I know a lot of them use ETA movements, but does that deter from their value as a nice watch?

Does being named after a famed cokehead, having model names like "Master Banker" and prices above $18,000 for a watch with a $200 movement inside deter from their value as a nice watch? Yes. Very much so.

Franck Muller had their heyday back in the '90s when there was little information on wristwatches available, well, anywhere. They were flashy, big and expensive, but now that people can go online and read all about how worthless Franck Mullers really are, their days are numbered and no amount of cocaine or tourbillons can save them.

question from a watch knob

I’ve heard the name "Jaeger-LeCoultre" pronounced "yay-gur" and "ja-jare." Which is right?

Well, of course, pronunciation depends greatly on where you reside and what language you speak. Jaeger-Lecoultre is indeed a tricky one, so here are some rules to live by when discussing the makers of the Memovox, Reverso and AMVOX. To figure out how you should pronounce the "Jaeger" in "Jaeger-LeCoultre," ask yourself the following:

1- Are you a native speaker of French or English? 2- Are you an a**hole or not?

If you’re French and not an a**hole and live, say, in Paris, France, you’ll say "ja-jare." If you’re French and an a**hole, you’ll say "yay-gur." If you speak English and live, say, in Boston, Massachusetts, you’ll say "yay-gur." But, if you're a true a**hole, you’ll be saying "ja-jare."